So, So Hood

Gr 7—9—Senior year is just about to begin and Jayd is enraged over a picture of her boyfriend kissing another girl, a frenemy who is exhibiting vampire characteristics, and her friend's mother demanding that she pay $1,100 for a debutante gown that Jayd never wore. Her initiation as a voodoo priestess and the dreams it brings are clarifying the drama. Could the shape-shifting rival voodoo clan be behind it all? She'll need her new powers to keep a cool head and stay safe. This series entry relies heavily on past installments for explanation of important events, and new readers will be lost not knowing Jayd's history. The many story lines are not fully fleshed out, and shape-shifting elements are so few and far between that they aren't intriguing. This effort at mixing urban drama and vampire voodoo lore falls flat.—Shawna Sherman, Hayward Public Library, CA